Bruised Books can aid students in finacially tough times

PULLMAN, WASH. – Pullman students will be able to gain extra cash in this economic crisis with the help of Brused Books, a used bookstore located in downtown Pullman, where students can trade in thier used books for money.
Brused Books was founded in 1980 by owner Bruce Calkins during his time as a graduate student at Washington State University. The business started out as two shelves located in The Combine, a past coffee shop that once resided in downtown Pullman. Over the years it has moved locations twice, eventually finding a permanent home on Main St. in 1999.
The bookstore houses over 50 different sections of and is always looking for different array of books to place on their shelves.
“We try to hit everyone, we have Christian fiction to books on far-left issues such as gay rights, but we also try to have specific books to the geographic area, with sections in the store on veterinary and firefighting,” said Sally Burkhart, a long-time Brused Books employee.
In a time when businesses are failing and many individuals are in financial turmoil, Brused Books has stayed at a steady and growing pace. With subjects of books ever-changing and getting more broad over time the bookstore is constantly taking in books from residents of Pullman, as well as acquiring different titles from locations such as Spokane, in order to keep up with the needs of customers.
The bookstore takes in books following three main criteria: books that they think will sell, that they need, and that are in good condition. They price their books at half or less of the cover price. The customer that brings in those books will receive a credit of 45 percent of the price Brused Books decides to sell the book for. If the customer takes the option of cash they will receive 25 percent of the sale price.
“It’s a great way for students to earn cash and get rid of some clutter they might have during the summer when a lot of people are moving locations. People would be surprised at how much you will receive for the books they will take,” said frequent customer Cori Youngblood.
The bookstore takes in all types of books and is always looking for rare and interesting texts as well as books that will sell a lot during a specific season. Spring time is a popular time for people to trade in books. During this time they see a lot of textbooks come in.
“We will take textbooks if they are in good conditions, from the last couple of years and will bring in money for the store. People find a particular interested in basic math or algebra books so we often take more of those,” Said Burkhart.
During summer the bookstore takes in and sells a lot of paperback fiction novels as well as the growing books genre known as “chic lit”, which appeals to the females from the ages of 18 to 30 years old.
“During Summer many people are looking for easy reads for lazy days at the beach as well as books that have been turned into movies that are coming to theaters this summer. We have recently been selling a lot of Dan Brown novels since Angels & Demons has hit the theater so that’s something we’re currently looking for but ,we welcome any and everything,” said Burkhart.